NBA insider says Zach LaVine, Bulls relationship 'shattered' as team looks to shop All-Star guard
Zach LaVine is yet to find a new home to resume his NBA career. The Chicago Bulls have been actively looking at options to shop the guard, but have not yielded any trade of substance.
In the meantime, the latest reports suggest that the relationship between the player and the franchise has deteriorated steadily. In his latest, Bulls reporter Joe Cowley described the relationship between the two as "shattered."
In his latest for the Chicago-Sun Times, Cowley weighed in on the developments at the Bulls front office.
"An NBA insider told the Sun-Times on Tuesday that the relationship between LaVine and the team’s top brass is completely shattered and “filled with mistrust.” LaVine and his representation at Klutch Sports feel like they were misled on possible trade destinations, and the Bulls thought LaVine “opting” for season-ending right foot surgery when rehab on the injury was still on the table was a counterpunch thrown below the belt."
This comes after reports stating that the Bulls had mulled dumping LaVine and Lonzo Ball's contracts and hit the rebuild button. They traded Alex Caruso for Josh Giddey and later drafted hometown boy Matas Buzelis in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Zach LaVine inked a five-year, $212 million deal with the Bulls in 2022, but has struggled since. Injuries have played a key part in derailing his career and the shooting guard played only 25 games last season.
At the time of writing, Chicago faces the conundrum of what to do with three years and $137 million left on his contract. There seem to be no buyers for the guard at this point.
The Warriors turned down the Bulls' Zach LaVine proposal
One of the major storylines this week was the Golden State Warriors waiving Chris Paul after just one season with the team. The veteran inked a deal with the San Antonio Spurs soon after.
Leading up to the move, the Bulls reached out to the Warriors with an offer of Zach LaVine for Paul and Andrew Wiggins but were turned down, according to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report.
There is no doubt that the LaVine would be a great addition to the Warriors, and can offensively fill Klay Thompson's shoes. But his defense and more importantly, his health are major concerns.
His peak run was between 2019-22 as he showcased his lethal offense averaging 25.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game on 47.9% shooting from the field and 39.0% shooting from beyond the arc. But with the trade trails gone seemingly cold, it remains to be seen what the future has in store for Zach LaVine.